Overhead door



- May 12, 1936.

H. F. COLLINS OVERHEAD DOOR '3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 23, 1933 INVENTOR Harald 7 Collins ELL-4J1, f l -M ATTORNEYS May 12, 1936. H. F. COLLINS 0,080

OVERHEAD DOQR Filed Aug. 25, 1933 s Sheets-Sheet s ATTORNEYS Patented May 12,1936

UNITED STATES ammo ovnanmn noon Harold F. Collins, Rockford, Ill., asllgnor to Howard D. Colman, Rockford, Ill.

. Application August 2:, 193:, Serial No. stem 10 mm. (CI. 20-20 This invention relates to doors of the socalled overhead type in which a plurality of vertically spaced panels or sections are hinged together'in edge-to-edge relation and adapted to slide upwardly and around a curved guideway into a gorizontal overhead position in opening of the cor.

One of the objectsof the invention. is to provide a new and improved means for looking a 19 door of this type in closed position, which is simple and inexpensive in construction and reliable and durable in operation.

Another object is to provide a novel means for guiding the door so as to reduce to a minimum 15 the amount of head room required. 3

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical plan view of a door embodying the present invention looking toward the inside thereof with the door in closed position. a 25 Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the door and its locking means. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the door in partially open position.

a Fig. 4 is a side elevation with the door closed. so The door shown. in'the drawings comprises generally a plurality of panels 5 pivotally conrlected at their adjacent edges by hinges 8 and guided at their vertical side edges in channelshaped rails 1 having a vertical section mounted 35 on the door frame 8 through the medium of 9. plate 9, 'a horizontal section secured to or suspended from the ceiling in and a curved intermediate section. In the door selected for purposes-of illustration, the pintles ll .of the hinges are rigid with laterally projecting cranks I! which, at their outer ends, carry pins l3 project- M ing parallel to the hinge axis and supporting rollers M which are guided by the flanges l5 and I6 of the rails I. The free ends of the cranks along each side of the door are connected by links H which, as the door approaches closed position,

are shifted in a direction to swing all of the cranks into positions perpendicular to the door whereby to move the door bodily against the door frame. 50 Such actuation occurs upon engagement of an extension ii of the uppermost crank arm I! with a fixed stop l9.

The invention contemplates the provision, on a door of the general character above described, of 55 a manually operable locking member adapted to engage with a stationary abutmentor keeper at the side of the doorway and located in a position 1 such that it will not be-subiect'to wearing or rubbing action and will not interfere with the movement of the door around the curved portions of the rails I. To this end, the locking member 75- is so spaced laterally of the rail flanges i5 and I! that in all positions of the door, the member will be disposed out of contact :with these flanges. In the present instance, two locking members in the form of bolts. 2| are employed mounted for 10 I movement parallel to the plane of the door in the lateral space between the rear side of the door and the adjacent flanges ii of the guide rails. In order to space the bolts so that they will be spaced properly from the flanges Ii in all posil5 tions of the door, each bolt is mounted closely adjacent the hinge axis between'two of the door sections, herein shown extending through apertures and slidably supported by flanges 2| on one of the hinges 6. The cranks I! are cut away as 0 indicated at 22 to permit location of the bolts in this position. A compression spring 23, coiled around a rod 24 and acting between one of the hinge flanges and a cross-arm 25 which projects into the bolt, constantly urges the latter toward 2'5 the plate 9. The keeper ofthe lock comprises a projection 26 rigid with the plate 9 and providing an abutment behind which the bolt is projected by the spring as the door reaches closed position. The upper inclined surface of the projection acts as a cam to move the bolt inwardly as the door approaches closed position.

Retraction of the two bolts to unlock the door is effected in the usual way by turning a handle 21 on the inside or outside of the door. This swings a plate 28 and applies tension to two chains 29 connected at opposite ends to the plate and the respective bolts 20. Normally the plate is held in looking position by a suitable latch mechanism 30 which may be released from the outside of the door by the use of a suitable 'key.

From an examination of Fig. 3, it will be apparent that the locking bolts 20 are located so remotely from the axes of the adjacent rollers it that they will remain out of contact with the adjacent flanges it while the hinges on which the bolts are carried are rounding the curved portions of the rails 1. Location of the bolt in this remote position is, it will be observed, facilitated by virtue of the roller crank arrangement employed 0 for producing the desired tight closure of the door, the axes of the rollers l4 being spaced substantially greater distances from the door than the hinge axes.

In order to reduce the amount of head room 557 required for installation of the door, the invention contemplates the provision of independent means for guiding the free edge of the uppermost panel 5 so as to reduce to a' minimum the distance to which this edge projects above the horizontal portion of the main rails I while the door sections are moving in edge-to-edge relation toward openposition. Since only the upper edge of the door is thus guided, the guide may, for economy of manufacture and ease of installation, take the form of a single rail 3| of the same construction as the rails "I located between the latter and having a straight horizontal portion secured to the ceiling slightly above the rails I and a downwardly inclined forward end terminating adjacent the upper edge of the doorway. A roller 32 secured to a bracket 33 on the panel rides between the flanges of the rail 3|.

In the initial upward movement of the door out of closed position, the free edge of the upper door panel will be guided away from the door frame along the curved portion of rail 3| and will ride along the horizontal portion as the hinged edges of the other sections round the curved portion of the rail '1 into the horizontal part thereof. Throughout the range of opening movement, the sections 5 remain in edge-to-edge relation with the upper section inclined upwardly slightly while traveling the horizontal portion of the rails. In the final closing movement of the door, the free .edge of the upper section rides down the curved part of the rail 3| and thereby moving into place gradually and quietly.

With the independent or supplemental guide above described, it will be apparent that the upper edge of the door is confined in its movements to a path different from but closely adjacent that of the hinged edges of the door. In addition, the

upper edge of the'door is moved gradually andpositively against the door frame without the use of the complicated mechanism which usually must be provided for this purpose in view of the location of the curved portion of the main tracks at the level of the upper part of the doorway.

Where, as in the present instance, the independent guide rail is used with a door embodying torsion counter-balance springs, the drums 3| on which the latter are carried are located beyond the rear ends of the rails I and 3| in order to take advantage ofv the small headroom provided for by the auxiliary guide. The spring action is applied tothe door through the medium of cables 35 disposedoutside of the rails-I and having one of their ends wound around the drums ll. The opposite ends oi. the cables are attached to arms .36 secured to the lower edge of the door and bent outwardly around the rails 'l. The cables are guided around sheaves 31 mounted on brackets 38 which are supported by and project inwardly from the upper frame.

The provision of the auxiliary guide for the upper free edge of the door enables the curve portions of the rails to be loweredsubstantially. '1 'o permit of such location and at the same time part of the door insurethat the doorwillberaisedatleasttothe level of the upper edge of the doorway, the sheaves II are located a substantial distance inwardly from the doorway preferably adjacent the inter- 7 section of the horizontal and curved portions of the rails With the sheaves thus located, the

faces of the counterbalance springs act along lines spaced rearwardly from the vertical sections of therails'l andthereforewiliraisethedooruntil By locating the brackets 38 and the sheaves ll outwardly from the-rails I and positioningthe auxiliary guide rail 3! intermediate the rails I, it will be apparent that none of these parts interfere in any way with the movement of the door equipped with locking bolts arranged as above described.

I claim as my invention: Y

1. The combination of a door having a plurality of panel sections hinged together at their adjacent edges, guide channels at the vertical marginal edges oi the door having vertical, horizontal and curved connecting portions, a plurality of crank arms projecting inwardly from the door and each pivoted on the door coincident with one of the hinge axes, rollers projecting from the free ends of said arms into the space between the flanges of said channels, a locking bolt adjacent one of said axes and mounted at one marginal edge of the 'door for movement in a plane between the door and the vertical portion of one 0! said channels, said bolt projecting beyond the inner edge of the latter channel and being spaced therefrom a distance sufllcient to remain out of contact therewith during movement of the door around said curved portions, and an abutment rigid with the channel and positioned for engagement with said bolt in the closed position of the door whereby to secure the latter against upward displacement.

2. The combination of a door having vertically spaced panels hinged together at adjacent edges, guide channels at the vertical side edges of the door having vertical, horizontal and curved connecting portions, arms projecting laterally from the door at the hinge axes of said sections and said hinge axes and normally urged outwardly into the path of said abutment whereby to become engaged behind the abutment and prevent upward displacement of the door, said member projecting beyond the flange of the adjacent channel but being'spaced laterally thereof a distance suflicient to remain out ofcontact therewith while the door travels around the curved portions of said channels.

3. The combination of a door having vertically spaced panels hinged together at adjacent edges, guide channels at the vertical side edges of the door having vertical, horizontal, and curved con necting portions, 9. locking member mounted on the door adjacent one of'the hinge axes and movable into the plane of one of said channels, said member being spaced laterally from the latter channel a distance/suiiicient to remain out or contact therewith during movement of the'door around the curvedportions of said channels, and a stationary abutment positioned to be engaged by said member in closed position of the door and acting through the medium of the member to lock the door against upward displacement.

4. The combination of a door having vertically spaced panels hinged together at adjacent edges, guide channels at the vertical side edges of the door having vertical, horizontal and curved connecting portions, a manually controllable locking member mounted on the door closely adjacent one of the hinge axes thereof and movable endwise into and out of the plane of one of said channels,

said member being disposed wholly exteriorly of said member becomes engaged as the door reaches closed position, and spring means normally urging said member into locking position relative to the door. 3

5. The combination of a door having vertically spaced panels hinged together at adjacent edges, guide channels at the vertical side edges of the door having vertical, horizontal, and curved connecting portions, 9. locking member mounted on the door adjacent one of the hinge axes and movable into the plane of the flanges of one of said channels, said member being spaced laterally of the flanges a distance suflicientto remain out of contactwith the sides thereof in all positions of the door, and a stationary abutment positioned to be engaged by said member inthe closed position of said door and acting to lock the door against upward displacement.

6. A door structure for a vertical doorway comprising, in combination, a plurality of panels arranged in edge-to-edge relation and pivotally connected together at their adjacent edges soas to move as a unit throughout the opening and closing movements of the door, rails at opposite side edges of said door having vertical, horizontal and curved connecting sections guiding the door adjacent its lower edge and the hinged edges of said panels, and a supplemental rail having a horizontal section disposed above and intermediate said'tlrst mentioned horizontal sections and acting to guide the free. edge of the upper door panel, said supplemental rail having a downwardly extending forward end to ting adjacent the upper edge portion of the doorway and acting on said upper panel to swing the latter against the door frame as the door approaches closed position. J 7,. A door structurefor a vertical doorway comprising, in combination, a plurality of panels arv ranged in edge-to-edge relation and pivotally connected together at their adjacent edges, rails at opposite side edges of said door having-vertical,

horizontal and curved connecting sections'guiding adjacent the hinged edges of said panels, and a single independent rail for guiding the upper free edge portion of the upper door panel during openingot the door, said last mentioned rail being disposed between and above the level of said horizontal rail sections.

8. A door structure for a vertical doorway comprising in combination, a plurality of panels arranged in horizontal edge-to-edge relation and hingedly connected together at their adjacent edges so as to move as a unit throughout the opening and closing movements of the door, a track comprising rails at opposite sides of the door and having vertical, horizontal and curvedfconnecting sections, rollers supported at the vertical margins of said panels adjacent the hinged edges thereof and oii'set rearwardly of the door for engaging said rails to guide the door in its movement and to support the same in its open position above,

the upper edge of the door opening, with the hinged edges of the panels disposed in a plane parallel to and spaced substantially above the plane of said horizontal rail sections, an auxiliary track disposed substantially parallel to and spaced above said horizontal rail sections, and means carried by the upper door panel engageable with said auxiliary track for guiding and supporting the-free edge of the panel.

9. A door structure for a vertical doorway comprising, in combination, a plurality of panels arranged in horizontal edge-to-edge relation and hingedly connected together at their adjacent edges so as to move as a unit throughout the opening and closing movements of the door, a track comprising rails atopposite sides 01 the door and having vertical, horizontal and curved connecting sections, rollers supported at the vertical margins of said panels adjacent the hinged edges thereof and offset rearwardly of the door for engaging said rails to guide the door in its movement and tosupport the same above the "upper edge of the auxiliary track for guiding the free edge of the 9 upper panel in the movements of, the door, said means cooperating with the, curved section of the auxiliary track to aline the free edge of the upper door panel in the same vertical plane as the hinged edge of the panel with the door in closed position,

- and cooperating with the horizontal section of the auxiliary track to support the free edge of the upper door panel in the open position of the door,

10. A door structure for a vertical doorway comprising in combination, a plurality of panels arranged in edge-to-edge relation and hingedly connected together at their adjacent edges, a track comprising rails at opposite side edges of thedoor having vertical horizontal and curved connecting sections guiding the hinged edges or the door, substantially the entire lengths of said curved sections being disposed below the level of the upper edge of the doorway closed by the door, an auxiliary track including horizontal and .curved rail sections disposed substantially'above the corresponding rail sections of said first mentioned track for guiding and supporting the free edge of the upper door panel in the movement of the ,door, counter-balancing means including cables attached to the door addacent its lower edge and disposed at opposite side edges of the door externally or said vertical rail sections, and

sheaves around which said cables extend located intermediate said two tracks and above the level movement or the door. 7

- EAROID If. OOH-INS. 

